Milwaukee Milkmenhttp://www.milwaukeemilkmen.com/Thu, 21 May 2020 04:39:10 +0000en-USdaily1baseballshiftTickets Now On Sale for The Milky Way Drive-Inhttp://www.milwaukeemilkmen.com/news/tickets-now-on-sale-for-the-milky-way-drive-inWed, 20 May 2020 19:00:43 +00008cc90f23-720a-4a0e-a203-654503f2dd11

The Milky Way Drive-In operates in the north parking lot at Ballpark Commons, next to the Milwaukee Milkmen's home stadium. There are two movies nightly (three on weekends) whenever the Milkmen are not playing at home. The Milky Way Drive-In can accommodate 175 vehicles. The movies are shown on a 40-foot outdoor LED screen. You can listen to the movie via outdoor speakers, an FM tune-in, or via "Milky Way Audio" on the Listen Everywhere app. Finally, the Milky Way has plenty of concessions to choose from, including hot dogs, burgers, popcorn, candy, and more! For your convenience, food can be ordered via an app & delivered by car-hop service.

The Milwaukee Milkmen, City of Franklin Tourism Commission , and Studio Gear Team Up to Bring a Curated Movie and Entertainment Series This Summer

Franklin, Wisconsin (May, 2020) – The Milwaukee Milkmen announced today a partnership with Franklin Tourism and Studio Gear to bring back a vintage movie-going experience via the brand-new Milky Way Drive-In at Ballpark Commons located in Franklin, WI.

The Milky Way Drive-In will accommodate 150 vehicles and show movies on an outdoor big LED screen. The schedule kicks off on Memorial Day Weekend (Friday, May 22) and runs to Labor Day. There will be two shows daily when the Milwaukee Milkmen are playing out of town, with family-oriented films slated for the early shows and more mature fare in the evening. There is also a weekly late-night feature planned for high school-age teens and young adults.

“Given our current shared challenge in combating COVID-19 via social distancing, the drive-in concept is a great way to gradually and safely ‘return to community’,” said Mike Zimmerman, CEO of ROC Ventures, developer of the Ballpark Commons mixed-use development and owner of the Milwaukee Milkmen. “The Milky Way Drive-In offers a terrific food-and-entertainment ‘night out’ experience in a safe environment.”

Studio Gear will bring its unique expertise to serve as the technology partner, providing all presentation and sound technology an ongoing technological support. Studio Gear will install a 40-foot LED board for the image and transmit sound via radio frequency. Utilizing LED technology provides for a robust image and will allow the Drive- In to play content day or night.

“We are in the event business and have a current partnership with the Milwaukee Milkmen. Moreover, we’d just secured a significant amount of additional gear for the Democratic National Convention, scheduled to be held in Milwaukee this year,” said Mike Atkins, General Manager of Studio Gear. “When large events began cancelling due to COVID-19, we found ourselves sidelined. The Milky Way Drive-In is a fantastic outlet for our technology and expertise – it’s hard to imagine a more ideal partnership.”

In addition to big-screen cinematic entertainment, a robust array of stadium food and drink concessions will be available including a “car hop” option where we deliver right to the car. Augmenting this offering, includes a rotating selection of local food trucks and partners. Stadium restrooms will be open for use with enforced social distancing safety guidelines.

Additional information including movie programming, show times, pricing, and COVID-19 health safety policies will be announced next week.

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About ROC VenturesROC Ventures manages a collection of brands in the sports, entertainment, and real estate sectors. These include the MASL Champion Milwaukee Wave, The Rock Sports Complex, a Summer College Baseball franchise, the Milwaukee Milkmen professional baseball team, and the mixed-use Ballpark Commons development featuring a new Baseball Stadium and Luxe Golf Bays, among other retail, entertainment, and residential features. ROC stands for “Return on Community,” a goal which informs each and every endeavor undertaken by the organization. For more information, visit rocventures.org.

About Studio GearSince 1989, Studio Gear has provided audio/visual/lighting equipment rentals, production services, and sales to customers throughout the United States. Customers count on Studio Gear for exceptionally high technical skills matched with creativity and customer service. Studio Gear was founded by Bob & Lana Wise on two main principles: “Quality is of the utmost importance, and our customers will always come first.”

MOORHEAD, MINN. – The Board of Directors of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball has postponed the start of the 2020 regular season, which was scheduled for May 19.

The American Association will aim for a start date of the season in early July. The league intends a season that will include 80 games and extend to late September. The early July timeline, along with the length of the season, is subject to the ability to hold games in home markets while abiding by federal, state, provincial governments laws and municipal health orders and guidelines.

“The American Association looks forward to the day when we can safely re-open our stadiums to our fans and provide entertainment and social interaction,” said American Association Commissioner Joshua Schaub. “However, we will not jeopardize the safety of our fans, staff, players, umpires or vendors and will abide by all national and local restrictions when determining if we can open in early July.”

“ I am very excited to have such an accomplished staff join me in 2020! We have a very good mix of youth and experience. Wade Taylor, our pitching coach brings big league experience as a player and has been a scout and an advanced scout at a championship level. Matt Passerelle, our hitting coach has worked in the American Association for the past 5 seasons with Sioux City and was just coaching the the championship series this past year. His knowledge of the league will be invaluable as we head into our second season. Roger Fegan is a young and upcoming coach and will handle a lot of scouting reports and statistical analysis of opponents. He brings energy and passion to the staff. We are very fortunate to have such a high quality staff ready to go to work in 2020” - Manager Anthony Barone

Manager Anthony Barone:

Anthony Barone is the sole returning member of the Milkmen coaching staff from last season. Barone spent the inaugural season of the Milkmen as the assistant coach under former manager Gary McClure. Barone does have previous experience managing prior to the Milkmen, serving as manager for the Jamestown Jammers from 2015-2018, a run which included the Jammers being 2017 PGCBL (Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League) Western Division Champions, and winning the 2018 Championship. Barone was named Coach of the Year in 2017 and 2018, the only coach in PGCBL history to be honored twice.

Barone attended college at Jamestown Community College for two years, where he played basketball and baseball and was named one of the institution’s Top 50 Athletes of all time. Eventually Barone concluded his college days at New Jersey’s Felician University, where he was an All-Conference athlete and two-time Academic All-American. Barone began his head coaching resume by compiling 207 wins at Jamestown Community College, which also saw Barone be named National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 3 Coach of the Year in 2008 on route to Jamestown advancing to five consecutive NJCAA Regional Tournaments. Before leading the Jammers, Barone spent 2012 to 2014, as an Assistant Coach at California State University–Bakersfield where the team won a Western Athletic Conference Regular Season Championship. During Barone’s management of the Jamestown Jammers the team finished ranked 13th in 2015, 4th in 2017, and 10th in 2018 among top collegiate teams in the country.

Barone is a father of 4 children and is a native of Jamestown, New York. Welcome back to Milwaukee, Coach Barone

Hitting Coach Matt Passerelle:

Matt Passerelle comes to Milwaukee from the Sioux City Explorers in Sioux City, Iowa. Matt was the hitting coach for five seasons with the Explorers from 2015-2019. He helped the X’s claim back-to-back Central Division Championships in his first two seasons with the Explorers in 2015 and 2016. Under his guidance, he also assisted the Explorers win the South Division Championship in 2019. In 4 out of 5 seasons with Passerelle as the Hitting Coach, the Explorers finished in the top 3 in hitting with the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball League. In addition, he assisted the Explorers reaching an ultimate baseball record of 75-25 wins in 2015.

Passerelle attended NCAA Division I-MAAC School Iona College (New Rochelle, New York). Passerelle played collegiately with the Gaels for four years from 1996-2000. After the 2000 college baseball season, he decided to play professionally with the Johnstown Johnnies of the Frontier League for the next three seasons (2000-02).

Coaching was always Passerelle’s niche. While playing college ball with Iona, he also was a part time instructor for Frozen Ropes, a baseball training facility in White Plains, NY. After graduating from Iona College, he was hired as assistant coach for the Gaels squad for the 2001-02 seasons. Once his playing career was over, he then became the general manager and head instructor of the Frozen Ropes facility in White Plains, NY. Matt decided to step away from this position after three years in 2005, for the exciting endeavor of opening his own Frozen Ropes training facility in Tinton Falls, New Jersey. He owned and operated this facility from 2006 until 2016.

With Passerelle’s experience as a former ball-player, coach and many years as an instructor, his resume stood out to major league ball-clubs. He was hired as an Associate Scout with the Baltimore Orioles in 2010 holding that position until 2012; He then obtained a position with the Kansas City Royals organization as an associate scout (2013-2014) and coach for the Royals scout team (2013-2014).

In his off time from baseball, Matt enjoys golfing and Husker football.

Assistant Coach Roger Fegan:

Fegan is a Rockford, Illinois native with over 15 years of training baseball players of various ages. He also has a Masters in Arts of Teaching (MAT) for physical education, splitting time between the University of Concordia Chicago and the University of Central Arkansas for said degree. On top of joining the Milkmen, Fegan is also the owner of Pretzel City Sports Academy in Freeport, Illinois an indoor year-round baseball/softball facility designed to develop and enrich the hitting and pitching skills of baseball and softball enthusiasts of all ages in Northwest Illinois. Fegan’s first coaching job was at the University of Concordia Chicago as an Assistant Baseball Coach from 2005 to 2009, at the end of which saw Concordia Chicago qualify for their first NCAA baseball tournament. Since then Fegan has coached the Freemont High School Varsity Baseball team from 2009-2016, while also being the current head baseball for Highland Community College, a Division II NJCAA team, since 2016. Fegan has is also been an associate scout for Major League Baseball and a coach/evaluator for USA Baseball in Midwest/Great Lakes region since 2017 and 2018 respectively.

We look forward to Fegan bringing his vast array of experience to develop our current players and future Milkmen alike.

Pitching Coach Wade Taylor:

Taylor has had an interesting career to lead him to the Milkmen. A native of Mobile, Alabama, Taylor split his college career as a pitcher between Jefferson Davis Community College (Brewton, AL), and the University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL). Drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1986 MLB Draft, Taylor was traded to the New York Yankees just one year later. After spending three years in the minor leagues, in 1991 Taylor was finally called up to pitch for the Yankees. Taylor posted a 7-12 record with 6.27 ERA and 72 strikeouts across 23 games pitched (22 starts).

Taylor would not reach the majors again, spending the rest of his playing career which ended in 1993, playing in the Yankees minor league system. Upon retirement Taylor spent over 20 years scouting in the major leagues for the Yankees, where he won three World Series rings (as a scout), the Los Angeles Dodgers, Washington Nationals, and Arizona Diamondbacks, last scouting in 2017.

We would like to welcome such an accomplished scout of talent into the Milkmen fold and can’t wait to see what direction the Milkmen pitching staff takes.

Assistant Coach Anthony Barone is named Manager following a 38-62 campaign.

Franklin, Wisconsin(September 9, 2019) – The Milwaukee Milkmen, coming off of their very first season in the American Association of Professional Baseball League, have dismissed manager Gary McClure.

It was a bumpy first campaign that kicked off with “home” games in Kokomo due to weather related construction delays at brand-new Routine Field Stadium in Franklin, WI. The Milwaukee Milkmen ended the season with 38 wins and 62 losses.

“We learned a lot during this first season, and the entire organization appreciates the outstanding efforts of Gary McClure,” said Mike Zimmerman, CEO of ROC Ventures. “He provided structure and direction during a period when there were a lot of unknowns to confront and solve on and off the field.”

The team has promoted assistant coach Anthony Barone to a new role as Milwaukee Milkmen manager. Barone was formerly manager of the Jamestown Jammers from 2015-18 before coming to the Milkmen as an assistant coach. During his tenure in Jamestown, the Jammers were 2017 PGCBL Western Division Champions, and won the 2018 Championship. Barone was named Coach of the Year in 2017 and 2018, the only coach in PGCBL history to be honored twice.

“I’m very grateful and excited about this opportunity to manage the Milwaukee Milkmen,” Barone said. “Mike Zimmerman, Dan Kuenzi, and ROC Ventures have created a wonderful environment for professional baseball. We had great community support in year one, and we are excited to see what year two brings. Our roster has a great foundation, and in coming weeks we’ll be rounding out the coaching staff to help us compete for an American Association title. This is a very humbling experience, which I am ready to work at extremely hard.”

While the team’s win-loss record was disappointing in 2019, the Milkmen enjoyed spirited support from new fans at theme nights like “MOO..tober Fest” and “Woodstock Night.”

“We set out to create great affordable and accessible entertainment for the whole family, and in 2019 we were able to achieve that goal,” Zimmerman said. “The entire organization really came through, and we can’t wait for the 2020 season to get underway so we can top ourselves.”

Visit milwaukeemilkmen.com for more information.

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About Anthony Barone

Anthony Barone attended Jamestown Community College for two years, where he played basketball and baseball and was named one of the institution’s Top 50 Athletes of all time. He finished his academic career at New Jersey’s Felician University, where he was an All-Conference athlete and two-time Academic All-American. As head coach at Jamestown Community College, he amassed 207 victories and a 101-62 regional record. Barone was named National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 3 Coach of the Year in 2008 as Jamestown advanced to five consecutive NJCAA Regional Tournaments. From 2012 to 2014, Barone was an Assistant Coach at California State University–Bakersfield where the team won a Western Athletic Conference Regular Season Championship. Barone managed the Jamestown Jammers from 2015-18, leading the team to the PGCBL Championship Series in 2017 and winning the Championship in 2018. Under Barone’s management the Jammers ranked 13th in 2015, 4th in 2017, and 10th in 2018 among top collegiate teams in the country. He was recipient of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League Coach of the Year Award in both 2017 and 2018, and came to the Milwaukee Milkmen as an assistant coach in 2019. He has coached or managed 46 players who became pros.

About ROC Ventures

ROC Ventures manages a collection of brands in the sports, entertainment, and real estate sectors. These include the MASL Champion Milwaukee Wave, The Rock Sports Complex, a Summer College Baseball franchise, the Milwaukee Milkmen professional baseball team, and the mixed-use Ballpark Commons development featuring Routine Field Baseball Stadium and Luxe Golf Bays, among other retail, entertainment, and residential features. ROC stands for “Return on Community,” a goal which informs each and every endeavor undertaken by the organization. For more information, visit rocventures.org.

]]>Milkmen Finish off the Season with a Win!http://www.milwaukeemilkmen.com/news/milkmen-finish-off-the-season-with-a-winMon, 2 Sep 2019 20:58:21 +00005fa22d65-71c2-4351-af93-4645b8f57935

By Jason Howarth

The final game of the 2019 season, the first for the Milwaukee Milkmen almost began similar to the first two games against the Texas AirHogs this series, beginning the first 3 2/3 innings hitless.

Manny Boscan got the hitting going with a single in the fourth and from there the boys took control. The scoring started in the fifth inning with Sam Dexter hitting an RBI double to put the Milkmen up 1-0.

In the sixth inning, Adam Walker drove in his 64th RBI off a ground rule double, Garrett Copeland hit an RBI single, and Christ Conley hit an RBI double.

Milwaukee finished with 7 hits and left 5 men on base.

Kurt Heyer was outstanding in his 6th win of the season. He pitched 8 scoreless innings, allowing just 3 hits, 3 strikeouts and no walks.

From all the Milkmen staff, myself included, we would like to thank you for your dedicated support throughout this inaugural season and we hope to see you again next year in 2020, where we will a full season of baseball at Routine Field.

The Milwaukee Milkmen were attempting to knock the Chicago Dogs from the play-off race, but were unsuccessful. However, with a victory by the St Paul Saints, the Dogs will have to wait again until next season.

Newly acquired Jake Matthys started the game and went 6 innings and pitched a great game against the offensive minded Dogs. Jake gave up 7 hits and 3 runs, however, only one run was earned. In the fourth inning, the Milkmen appeared to have dodged the bullet with a high fly down the right field line. Second baseman Garrett Copeland was unable to gather in the fly and it was dropped for an error and two runs for the Dogs.

The Milkmen had a rally going in the 2nd inning when Copeland and Riley Pittman singled to put runners on first and third with one out. However, Dan Ward grounded into a double play ending the inning.

The Dogs added to their lead with a two run home run by Victor Roache in the 7th making the score 5-1. However, the Milkmen did not quit, and put some pressure on the dogs in the 8th. They loaded the bases with no outs, however, the next three hitters were retired without a run scoring.

The Milkmen traveled back home for the final homestand. The pitcher for Fan Appreciation Night is Angel Ventura who is the leading pitcher in the American Association with a 2.62 Earned Run Average. Come on out and let the players know how much you enjoyed their effort. Game time for Saturday is 6:05 while Sunday and Monday’s times are 1:05.

For the most part, the Milwaukee Milkmen have played the Chicago Dogs very tough in each and every game this season. The Dogs have one of the most “destructive” offensive line-ups and their strength once again dominated in a 4-1 victory. The Milkmen were able to generate only seven hits over the game with the biggest one coming from Adam Walker. “Walk” hit his 22nd home run of the season which gave the Milkmen a lead in the early innings of the game.

Joey Wagman pitched a very strong game going five innings and struck out six dogs…and only three earned runs. He had the Dogs line up off balance, frustrated and pitched one of the better games for the Milkmen against the Chicago club. The bull pen of Zach Hartman, Manny Corpas and Colby Morris finished the game in perfect fashion shutting out the Dogs in the last three innings.

The Milkmen’s offense was led by Glen McClain who went 3-4 against D.J. Shelton who pitched eight strong innings and struck out 8 Milkmen.

The Milkmen got a rally going in the fifth inning with a lead off double by Dan Ward. He was moved to third by Jose Rosario who laid down a perfect bunt. Sam Dexter hit what appeared to be a sacrifice fly to center field, and Dan Ward scored easily. However, the third base umpire ruled that Ward left the base too soon, and was called out. Subsequently, the video and still pictures showed that Ward was clearly on the base when the ball was caught.

The clubs meet for the final time of the season with Jake Matthys going on the mound for the Milkmen.

The Milwaukee Milkmen traveled to Chicago for their final series on the road. The Milkmen were roughed up by the strong offense of the Chicago Wieners (as they are called at their park).

The final score was 10-3 in favor of the Dogs, however, for a short time it appeared that the Milkmen were going to make it a ball game. After Chicago put up a single run in the bottom of the first inning, Milwaukee’s offense began to click in the top of the second. Dan Ward was safe at first on an error by their shortstop, and Garrett Copeland followed with a walk. Jose Rosario followed with a sharp grounder to short, who threw to third to force Ward. Sam Dexter, the hottest hitter for the Milkmen in August, followed with a single driving in Copeland. Glen McClain followed with a sharp single to center field scoring Rosario and Dexter, making the score 3-1 in favor of the Milkmen.

That score remained until the bottom of the fifth when the Dogs plated three runs to take the lead 4-3. Adam Walker was the lone Milkman to have two hits while McClain drove in two runs and Dexter one. The Dogs banged out fourteen (14) hits and earned four free passes to close out the evening with six runs in the late innings for the 10-3 Victory.

The two teams continue their series Thursday night at 6:05 at Impact Field in Rosemont, Illinois.